


Turning Point

by Alana_P



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Inner Dialogue, POV First Person, tried to remain faithful to the canon, what even is writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28593447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alana_P/pseuds/Alana_P
Summary: All-Valley Karate Tournament, 1984.A glimpse into Johnny Lawrence's inner thoughts during the finals.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Turning Point

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dedlit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dedlit/gifts).



Oceans of vast emptiness.

Drums are pounding in the distance, fast-tempered and warlike. My head hurts.

_don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry_

A twinkle in that dark sky makes the world tremble all over.

I can’t breathe.

_am I falling? ___

____

A loud ringing in my ears brings me to my knees; are they cheering for me or against me?  
Where am I?

____

There’s that murky darkness again, trapping me in and it’s suffocating.

____

I think there’s a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it with strength and might.

____

You’re a loser, and there are no losers in this dojo! Is that understood, Mr. Lawrence?

____

_don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry_

____

Yes sensei...

____

Louder!

____

Yes sensei!

____

I’m not hearing you!

____

YES SENSEI!

____

Now go back to the mat and destroy that scrawny Reseda boy!

____

_crying is for losers_

____

I want to reply something, but the words remain entrapped in my throat.  
I take a deep breath.  
My feet move on their own accord; beating the crap out of LaRusso is something that I must do but don’t really agree with. Still, I can’t disappoint Sensei Kreese – he’s like the father Sid’s never been to me.

____

_i can’t disappoint him._

____

I swallow though my throat still feels constricted, as if a python were trying to strangle me.

____

"Gentlemen, bow to me…"  
LaRusso and I execute a quick reverence then get back to facing each other.

____

"… now bow to each other" – well, that part LaRusso does more than I do.

____

"Fight!"

____

Right. Strike first strike first… left foot first? Right hand? Left hand it is.

____

Strike hard.

____

“Yeah! get him a body bag!”  
Sorry Tommy. I couldn’t save you from him. He got to your head too and I let him.

____

_don’t disappoint him don’t disappoint him_

____

_you loser_

____

Everything looks blurry yet clear, in a strange way. I can’t see right but I know what I have to do and my body moves on its own accord. My hard training’s paying off.

____

_i gotta win this i gotta win this i gotta show sensei Kreese i’m still the number one_

____

Just took a blow from that hecking kid. Shit.

____

_i’m the number one!_

____

"Point: LaRusso!"

____

_I AM the number one! Look at ME!_

____

My brain in on automatic mode and my fists fly like cranes, going all in to break him down.

____

"Point: LaRusso!"

____

_It is over, everything’s over…_ I try to sweep some sweat off my face with the back of my hand. _Victory will be mine, it has to be mine! Focus._

____

No mercy.

____

And then I punch his face and his body hits the ground in a matter of seconds, but he gets back up, cheek turning red from my blow. He looks at me with those big brown eyes, full of determination and anger. How does it feel, to be a loser, I could’ve told him, but Sensei’s watching and I have to focus on the fight.

____

The kid then proceeds to strike a pose, a bit like Bruce Lee would've in one of his kung fu movies, I guess. He looks ridiculous like that. 

____

The rest went by too quickly, like Superman speed-running by in the streets of Metropolis. No thinking at all -- just kicking.

____

My nose hurts, my whole face hurts, it’s bleeding and I wish I could just dig myself into a hole. People are cheering for LaRusso, and I’m finding myself annihilated, ridiculed, emasculated. The sports arena feels too cramped and too big all at once.

____

The kid fought well, but I was meant to win this. That victory should’ve been mine, not his. I mean, he’s never been training as hard as I have, and yet he’s the one earning that first place.  
What’s all that hard work and pain been for?  
Second place does nothing for me. ‘sides, I’m gonna get shit for being second place.

____

The world sucks, man.

____

“You did it, Daniel!”  
You don’t say.

____

And Ali’s even running to him, probably because she’s happy to be seen with the replacement king of the Valley. She’s never been like that with me, but I don’t want to think about it now.

____

Guy’s a good fighter – not that I’d openly admit to thinking that.

____

I grab the trophy that’s being handed his way to give it to him directly.  
“You’re all right, LaRusso!” and I meant it. Shame we had to compete, as part of two very different dojos.

____

His fighting style and mine are not compatible anyway.

____

I get a breathy “Thanks a lot” from him, and it sounds like he meant it too. Things feel less contrived for a moment and I can get back to breathing normally.

____

… until me and the other Cobra Kais meet outside.

____

____

________________________________

____

____

Kreese is unleashing hell on me for losing to LaRusso. I’m not happy about it either, but I still got second place! What’s more, I will reclaim my champion title next year, ‘cause no way I’m gonna lose two times in a row.

____

“Hey, come on. That’s not fair! I got second place.”

____

“Second place? Second place is no place; you’re off the team!”

____

“That sucks, I did my best.” is all I could answer. Being off the team is even worse than getting my pants pulled down in front of a bunch of hot babes.

____

“What did you say?”

____

“I said I did my best.”  
No other coherent thought seemed to come to my mind, as if it were numbed by the crushing news that were dropped on me a few seconds ago. I really gave it my all, but it’s not enough, it’s never enough, especially for Cobra Kai standards. No losers allowed in the dojo, which also means no room for second place losers like me.

____

“You’re nothing, you lost! You’re a loser.”  
Coming from someone whom I’ve always seen as a father, it stung, hard. It’s getting hard to breathe.

____

The only thing I could manage to retort was “No. You’re the loser, man” – a bit too weak, in my opinion.

____

“Oh, I’m the loser, huh?”

____

“Yeah.”

____

And then that asshole took my hard-earned second place trophy and broke it in half, right in front of my face.

____

“Now who’s the loser?”

____

“Ya know, you’re really sick, man.”  
I don’t know if all the stuff Kreese’s been through decades ago drove him to be that harsh, but something was definitely wrong with his head.

____

What happened next, I won’t be able to forget. His strong hands grabbed my neck, trying to break it the same way a python would. 

____

Tommy chimed in and tried to break him away from me, to no avail; the ex-soldier never lost his strength, nor his rigid fighting spirit. None of the guys could get Kreese to stop, and that’s about then that LaRusso’s old man came to us.

____

“Oi. Let him go.”

____

Kreese still wouldn’t bulge, so Miyagi had to be hands-on which quickly proved to be effective. Both Kreese’s hands were full of blood from missing the old man’s face, which he obviously intended to punch.

____

“Mercy is for the weak. We do not train to be merciful here.”, said Miyagi, defiant, ready to take him down. The guys and I were watching from a distance, probably wishing Kreese would get taught a lesson or something.

____

“A man face you, he is enemy. Enemy deserve no mercy.”

____

LaRusso was there, in the background, looking like a frightened puppy. It was hard to see him hiding behind that car, but I knew he was there, with that kicked puppy expression on his kid face. That guy kicked my freaking ass but he still was that outcast from Reseda. 

____

Get him, get him get him! My brain chanted, until Miyagi freaking honked Kreese’s nose. I’m sure he felt so humiliated he’d have killed the grandpa on the spot. The guys and I were barely recovering from what happened a few moments earlier, but we didn't miss the angry aura emanating from Kreese.   
Still, I was hurting, I was terrified and I just wanted to go into the forest with the guys and get a good brew, even though I wasn't yet legal. One beer won't kill anybody. 

____

____

_________________________________

____

____

Decades after that, I still remember everything vividly, and thinking about it makes my throat hurt as it did then. I may be an old man now, I guess some things never really change. Even after Shannon and I had Robby, the few memories we had with our son never were enough to make me forget that night in December 1984. To be honest, I'm not even sure anything could help me forget, even getting drunk on Coors Banquets as I like to. Not even Iron Eagle would work, though it's still a pretty badass movie, even after so many rewatches. Kinda takes me back to simpler times. 

____

Owning a TV probably didn't help either, since LaRusso Auto ads popped on it several times a day, with that cheesy "choppin' prices" line and karate gimmick -- which look absolutely ridiculous. That guy had everything he wanted and I was there, in my own shitty bachelor pad, trying to make ends meet working boring jobs that didn't pay nearly enough. Granted, that Latino neighbor's pretty hot, but she's not interested in a loser like me. No way she would.   
  
But enough is enough, and I had to strike back. Cobra Kai was reborn, using the charity check I got from that prick Sid. I would finally conclude the story my way. 

____

Of course, things didn't exactly happen as expected. It was only the beginning of the end.

____

**Author's Note:**

> Been wanting to write for Johnny for a while now, despite my natural inability to express things in words (music is the way for me).  
> English is not my first language, so please feel free to report any mistakes to me!


End file.
